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"Why Couldn't We Get a
Camel?" - August 10

PIT STOP: SPHINX, GIZA, EGYPT

After playing "Anastasia" and "Tomb Radier", Colin &
Christie (Team Type A) have become "Prince (and
Princess) of Egypt" with a HUGE lead. Linda & Karen
(Team Bowling Moms) are still in it but are "Out On a
Limb" since they had their cash relieved of them and
need "Mo' Money".

In the shadow of the noseless statue of the ancient
Egyptian riddler, the teams have yet another mandatory
12-hour rest period to eat, sleep and be scared for,
tomorrow, they may be eliminated. Linda & Karen feel
like they've ALREADY been eliminated... but they REFUSE
to give up!

Colin & Christie didn't have much time to chat with the
others, however. At 11:27pm, they depart the Sphinx on
the next leg! They start with:

ROUTE
INFO:

Make your way to the
entrance of the Great Pyramid (the last surviving
Ancient Wonder of the World). Descend 350 feet down
into the shaft into the Creation Room (which is the
geographic center of the Earth) to obtain your next
clue. You have $65 for this leg of the Race, though
ONE of the teams will start with NO money at all.
(That would be Linda & Karen.)

Armed with a seven-hour
lead, the confident team marches towards the Pyramid,
arguing about which one IS the Great Pyramid... only to
find that the shaft opening is locked, not to be opened
until 6am local time. The seven-hour lead is now down
to 40 minutes. But, at least, they get an extra six
hours of sleep.

As the sun slowly starts to rise, Team Type A slowly
starts to drop, heading down the inclined shaft into the
Creation Room. They have some trouble getting down the
narrow shaft, but they reach it before the second-place
team even departs the PIT STOP. And the clue says:

ROUTE
INFO:

According to Egyptian
mythology, this chamber is the center of creation.
Now make your way to the Mound of Creation: The
Karnak Temple in Luxor. Head for the domestic
airport in Cairo (called the "Old Airport") and
catch a flight to Luxor, Egypt (400 miles away).
You may take any commercial flight OR a chartered
flight which is scheduled to depart at 11:30am. Once
in Luxor, head for the Karnak Temple and find your
next clue.

Colin & Christie don't
think about the chartered flight, though. They try to
think of EARLIER flights to take out of Cairo. See, the
airports, as you've seen, are the "great equalizers" of
the Race; you're only as fast as the first available
flight out.

Almost seven hours after Team Type A depart the Sphinx,
it's time for Charla & Mirna (Team Hi-Lo) to head for
the Great Pyramid. Mirna hopes the other teams realize
that, despite having a "vertically challenged" person on
board, she and Charla are a strong, tough team. Brandon
& Nicole (Models) leave four minutes later, hoping they
stay calm and cool (yeah...right...) to stay in the
hunt. Chip & Kim (Married Parents) leave on the Models'
heels, with Kim feeling a bit worthless.

Team Hi-Lo descends
first with Brandon & Nicole right on their tail.
Mirna's claustrophobia is starting to kick in... but
Charla is almost able to STAND in the chute. Both teams
make it down... and Brandon takes off his shirt because
of the heat, giving MUCH for Mirna to slobber over. As
they ascend, the Married Parents descend to get their
clue. All three teams catch cabs to the "Old Airport",
wondering what flight to take.

At said airport, Colin & Christie arrive to see about
earlier flights. There's a 7:30 flight on Eygpt Air, but
it's booked solid... and no other domestic airline goes
to Luxor. So Team Type A sulk, since their big lead has
shrunk to nada.

Back at the Sphinx, Marshall & Lance (Team Pizza
Brothers) depart. Marshall's knees are a LITTLE better,
but the grating nerves under his kneecaps are still
QUITE painful. Lance stays optimistic, though, not
getting angry at how slow Marshall's knees are making
their team. Marshall takes his time to try to climb
down, but it's no easy task (though it DOES feel better
than WALKING. They do manage to make it all the way down
and up with the clue. So Team Pizza Brothers are still
in this.

At the Airport, Charla & Mirna arrive at the second
terminal, not the one with the charter flight. Brandon &
Nicole and Chip & Kim wait at Terminal 2. Team Hi-Lo
decide to take the next available cab to Terminal 1.
That cab JUST HAPPENS to belong to Team Type A, who are
just stopping in to see if the shorter flight is there.
Of course, not KNOWING that the taxi was taken, Team
Hi-Lo hi-jacks it... much to Colin's dismay. An argument
ensues about whose cab it is (just like Married Parents
and Team Twins did in Argentina). Though it's mostly
polite, Christie just tells the "rude" cousins to "get
out". Mirna's disgusted and even tells the taxi driver
(in Arabic) that Colin & Christie are "maniacs".

As Marshall & Lance arrive at Terminal 2 for the charter
flight, Team Twins depart for the Pyramid (two hours
after Charla & Mirna leave). The clueless girls get
directions to the entrance, need help in determining
where to go down... I'd insert any number of blond jokes
here but, being one, I'd only be insulting myself. As
they descend and get the clue, Linda & Karen depart... a
whopping 10 1/2 hours after Colin & Christie did. What's
worse, they haven't a cent to their name. So, before
they depart for the Pyramid, they decide to beg for
money. Not from the poor locals, of course, but from the
richer tourists.

They come across a tour
bus and a few people are MORE than happy to contribute
to the "Save the Bowling Moms From Elimination Fund".
Money
in hand, they go to the Pyramid and get the clue. But
they need to hurry; the charter flight leaves in an
hour.

Everybody is at the right terminal and the right
airport. It is a six-way tie for first at the moment.
And everyone is PRAYING that Team Bowling Moms don't
make the flight. Linda & Karen get into a taxi... and,
apparently, it was the ONLY taxi driver in all of Giza
who didn't understand what "Old Airport" meant. That's
because they drive them to the "NEW Airport" for
INTERNATIONAL flights. At this point Team Bowling Moms
feel their history and have to look for the earliest
commercial flight.

But hold the phone, people! When Linda & Karen arrive at
the terminal at 11:35am... all the teams are still
THERE! The flight was DELAYED... for almost two hours!
Everyone is on the SAME FLIGHT! It's a whole new Race,
folks!

LUXOR, EGYPT

The charter flight touches down in the southern Egyptian
city of Luxor (and those who are curious FINALLY find
out how that Vegas hotel go its name). Fourteen pairs of
feet and legs sprint out of the terminal, looking for
taxis. Charla & Mirna are the first out of the airport,
but the other teams are right behind them, jocking for
position almost in a "Cannonball Run"-like fashion. Chip
& Kim's driver is PARTICULARLY frisky and passes
EVERYONE into first... while heading into oncoming
traffic! (Good thing that a) the 'lanes' are wide and b)
they don't have the same 'passing laws' as in the U.S.)

At the Karnak Temple, the Married Parents jump out and
head into the large array of columns with every other
team on their heels. But, like most temples in this
secular age, the teams have to buy tickets to get in.
Team Twins are the first to realize this and run back
from the entrance to the ticket counter. The teams line
up to get the tickets... and Colin pushes Mirna as she
gets to the front of the line after him and Christie get
their tickets. Somehow, I don't think this will be as
easily reconciled as the Married Parents and the Twins.

Kami & Karli find the Route Marker among the columns.
They take the clue out and run off as not to give any of
the other teams a chance to see where the Marker is.
THEN they open the clue and find a...

DETOUR:
HERD IT OR HAUL IT?

HERD IT: Travel 5 miles
by carriage (called a "kalesh") to Banana Island.
Lead ten sheep or goats onto a marked ship called a
"felucca", then travel on it across the Nile and
unload the sheep to an awaiting shepherd to obtain
your next clue.

HAUL IT: Travel 3 miles by carriage to Pigeon House
Farm. Use an old Egyptian device called a "shidoo"
(sp?) to fill up small urns with water from the
Nile. Then travel by donkey along a path to the
farmhouse and fill a large jug to the marked line to
obtain your next clue. (This may take several trips
to and from the Nile.)

Team Twins decide to
HERD IT, thinking it would be faster. So they hop on a
kalesh and tell the driver to head off... without any
direction. Of course, the driver gets them lost until
they actually TELL him where to go. One-by-one, the
teams find the DETOUR. Chip & Kim, Charla & Mirna, Linda
& Karen and Marshall & Lance (who get directions from
Team Hi-Lo) decide to HERD IT while Colin & Christie and
Brandon & Nicole chose to HAUL IT.

Team Type A and the Models arrive at the Pigeon House
Farm and race to the Nile. After a small demonstration
as to how to use the "shidoo", the teams fight to fill
their buckets, then swing them around to fill their
urns. Once Team Type A fills theirs, Colin gets on a
donkey and gets Christie to guide it up the path.
Brandon mounts right behind them and Nicole gets HIS ass
moving (so to speak)... though THEIR mount doesn't seem
to like how Nicole is pulling his chain. They both make
it to the farmhouse, but one urn of water isn't enough
and they have to ride back to the Nile to get another
jug-full.

Meanwhile, at Banana Island, Chip & Kim arrive first to
do some shepherding. They are overwhelmed at the sheer
number of sheep on the bank, ranging from babies to old
and large (Chip says "horse-size", but methinks he
exaggerates too much). Chip starts hefting them into
their boat one by one when Kim stands guard to make sure
none of them abandon ship (she wouldn't help haul them
because they were "so smelly and funky"). Team Bowling
Moms, Team Hi-Lo and Team Twins arrive next and start
THEIR loading, with Karen, Mirna and both twins
respectively loading while their partners stand guard (Kami
& Karli's wooly beats are surprisingly tame, I guess).
Chip & Kim depart as the others start their loading.

Colin & Christie make the second trip and fill the large
jug to overflowing. They are rewarded with the next
clue:

ROUTE
INFO:

Take a marked taxi to
the Habu Temple (an ancient temple with mythological
hieroglyphics). Your next clue can be found in the
main promenade.

Brandon & Nicole are
second to depart the farm house, though they're a few
minutes behind.

The Married Parents may not be breaking any speed
records as they cross the Nile, but they're enjoying the
trip THOROUGHLY! They arrive on the western bank and
drop off the sheep. They then depart for the Habu Temple
in third place.

Back on the east side, Team Bowling Moms manage to get
their ten walking sweaters onto the boat first. Charla
is having trouble keeping some of the goats for going
"on the lamb" (pun intended) and Mirna's finding out
something about herself: she's seems to be allergic to
wool. Team Twins beat them to ten ship and tail Linda &
Karen... while Mirna - for the umpteenth time this Race
- thinks about quitting. But, once again, Charla's
cheerleader act makes her press on and FINALLY get their
requirement of livestock. The three teams make it to the
other side, get their clue and get their cabs.

This leaves Team Pizza Brothers well behind. They arrive
at HAUL IT... and Lance takes it upon himself to load
the sheep solo while Marshall rests his weary knees.
Marshall's proud of Lance for taking care of him (as
brothers are wont to do... sometimes). Together, they
manage to complete this task and move on.

As Marshall & Lance are sailing on the Nile, Team Type A
and the Models are sailing in their cabs towards the
Habu Temple. Colin & Christie are far in front as they
reach the temple and sprint to the Route Marker, which
shows a...

ROAD
BLOCK:

("This task requires
keen eyes and a LOT of patience.") Engage in a
little archeological dig. Go to the marked sand pit
and use any of the tools there to dig through your
area of sand for a scarab (stone carving of a
beetle, an important symbol in Egyptian mythology).
Once you find your scarab, give it to the scientist
in the tent next to the pit to obtain your next
clue.

Colin decides to try it
(though Christie wonders where he got "a LOT of
patience" from). The problem is that the team thinks a
"scarab" is a sword (it doesn't say it's a beetle on the
clue), so that's what Colin digs for. Brandon decides to
dig for the Models as THEY arrive at the ROAD BLOCK.
THEY don't even know what a scarab is, but they'll dig
just the same. They dig and dig... until Team Married
Parents arrive (with Kim doing the task for once). It's
a three-way race to find the scarab... assuming they can
figure out what it is.

And the winner is Colin, who SHOWS the other two teams
exactly what they're looking for (he didn't HAVE to,
but... whatever). He and Christie present the beetle to
the archeologist and receive their reward:

ROUTE
INFO

PIT STOP: Make your way
to the next PIT STOP, Crocodile Island (a lush
plantation on the banks of the Nile). You get there
by going to the West Nile Ferry Port & Water Taxi
Launch and taking a Water Taxi up the Nile River.
WARNING: the last team to check in will be
ELIMINATED!

As Team Type A take off
on the taxi to their second leg win in a row, Team
Bowling Moms - who thought they were out of it when the
day began - charge into the pit, with Karen having the
"honor" of digging for the stone bug. Not too far behind
comes Team Twins, with Karli grabbing the spade and sand
filter. Finally, Team Hi-Lo makes it a five-way fight
with Mirna digging in the dirt.

After some time, Kim finds the scarab first... and tries
to hide it from prying eyes. But Charla manages to catch
a glimpse of it, saying it's a "kind of a rock". Kim
feels more confident now that she's contributed a bit
more to their Race. Kami directs Karli to where she "has
a feeling" the scarab might be... and she's right! Team
Twins leave the ROAD BLOCK in third place. Three
frustrated teams continue to dig... and the Models
finally find it, heading out in fourth and leaving Linda
and Mirna angry at themselves. Of course, neither team
realizes that Marshall & Lance are still a fair clip
behind. If they hurry, they can BOTH stay in the Race!

The two women dig and dig and dig (and probably vow
never to plant a
garden when they get home)... until Mirna FINALLY finds
the scarab... much to Linda's disappointment.

PIT STOP: CROCODILE ISLAND, EGYPT

They lost a big lead, but managed to stay IN it. Team
Type A find the island and Colin screams, "LAND HO!"
They race up the steps and step on the mat as the sun
starts to set on this long day. Phil, again, proclaims
them "team number one"! But... there's BETTER news. For
winning the leg, they win a vacation to Mexico thanks to
AA.com. The vacation sounds wonderful... but I'm sure
they feel MORE wonderful that, despite blowing the big
lead, they managed to come in first again. The Married
Parents, Team Twins, the Models and Team Hi-Lo enjoying
watching the sun set over the river as they continue
towards the PIT STOP.

Back at the dig site, Linda has, literally and
figuratively, dug a hole for her and Karen to get out
of. Her arms are getting numb, her patience is getting
low. She hopes that Team Pizza Brothers don't find it in
two seconds before SHE can find it. As she says this,
Marshall & Lance arrive at the ROAD BLOCK and, of
course, Lance is elected to dig. But they have a hard
time FINDING the site... and Marshall hobbling along on
his bad knees (hmm...had I known, I'd've called THEM
"Team Wounded Knee").

Chip & Kim are the second team to arrive at the PIT
STOP, followed closely by Kami & Karli, then Brandon &
Nicole and Charla & Mirna (without their "traditional"
hug of the host this time). This leaves Team Bowling
Moms and Team Pizza Brothers racing for the final spot.

An exhausted Linda FINALLY locates the scarab. She and
Karen grab the clue and sprint for the taxi. As they
board the boat, Marshall & Lance arrive at the dig site
at last. Some time later, Linda & Karen arrived at the
PIT STOP... still in last, but still in the Race... AND
they'll get some money at the start of the next leg!

Alone in the sand pit,
the brothers prepare for the task. Marshall's knees are
hurting so much that he can hardly walk anymore. In
fact, he needs to sit on a wicker chair supplied by the
archeologist while Lance worked. Lance digs for a
while... until he and Marshall notice something. There
are seven pits... and SIX of them look like they have
been excavated already. They know they are in last...
and, assuming this was an elimination leg, they decide
to beat CBS to the punch and just not finish the leg.
They are the first team to be physically unable to
finish a Race leg.

In a first for the five Amazing Races so far, Phil
actually has to LEAVE the PIT STOP to tell the last
place team that they are eliminated. Of course, Marshall
& Lance essentially tell Phil, "You can't fire us 'cause
we quit." Marshall's legs are killing him and he's sorry
he cost Lance the million. Lance, however, is proud that
Marshall fought through the pain. They traveled 400
miles today on bad knees... but it's time to get those
patellae patched!